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Wednesday, September 21, 2011

In the Kitchen With the Toddler: How to Cook Spaghetti Squash

Our kitchen is really tiny, so whenever we cook as a family, we do a lot of our prep work on our dining table. Over the weekend we made a spaghetti squash bake (very similar to this one here); the toddler didn’t remember ever helping when I made spaghetti squash and was fascinated. So much so, that he ended up sitting on top of the table for most of the time. Because it had been a long day and he was very tired, I decided not to fight the issue. Just know, we usually do not sit on top of the table!

Our squash came with a handy little sticker with instructions on how to cook it in the microwave. I followed the instructions pretty much, except I had to use a knife to poke holes into it (a fork wouldn’t budge at all!) and I cooked it for 18 minutes. The squash was huge. Even after cooking it for 18 minutes, it was still al dente (which we enjoyed, and it did get a bit softer when I baked it, but not much).

While the squash was cooking in the microwave, I cut the mushrooms and sautéed them. Then I added the Laughing Cow cheese wedges to make a sauce. Next, I coated the bottom of a casserole dish with a few tablespoons of tomato sauce.

And then the squash was done. I cut it in half

and removed the seeds and “stringy things” attached to the seeds.

And then the magic began. Can you see my helper’s hands right there?

And here he is, sitting on top of the table!

And here are the “spaghetti!”

And now we assembled the bake in the casserole dish:

Yes, the toddler is still sitting on top of the table…

The casserole dish is ready to go into the oven, where it baked for 55 minutes at 350 degrees.

And then it looked like this!

By now, the toddler had come back down from the table. But now he decided it was time to take off his shirt… As I said, it had been a LONG day, and we decided to forgo the battles…

A good ending to a LOOOOONG day!

Questions: Do you like squash? If so, what’s your favorite type of squash? I love all squash, from summer squash to butternut squash to spaghetti squash. Making spaghetti squash is so much fun, but I don’t really think it tastes like spaghetti (and people shouldn’t expect it to taste like spaghetti). Of course adding lots of “spaghetti things,” like tomato sauce and cheese, makes it “taste more like spaghetti”…